“The market’s recovery was limited due to the weaker-than-expected performances of listed firms,” said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities.

Foreigners and retail investors were net buyers for the second consecutive session, scooping up a net 292.2 billion and 108.6 billion won worth of shares, respectively. Institutional investors sold a net 420.1 billion won worth of shares.

Despite a fall in the main index, secondary Kosdaq rose 8.79 points, or 1.36 percent, to end at 657.46. The tech and bio-heavy index was supported by a 2.01 percent rise in the U.S. Nasdaq Composite Index.

The Korean won ended at 1,138.10 won against the U.S. dollar, down 1.50 won from the last session.